Pisco’s New Day in the USA

There's no doubt pisco is having un momento. Coinciding with the cocktail renaissance of the last decade, more pisco brands have entered the market, and they're getting bigger and better. But this white spirit – a Chilean and Peruvian brandy – is still finding its legs among a slew of other mixable spirits like vodka and tequila on the shelves. Pisco remains the oldest spirit in the Americas, yet Americans seem to know little about it.

TLK sat down with Diego Loret de Mola, who founded BarSol Pisco ten years ago, to discuss pisco, generally, and why consumers are suddenly taking to pisco. BarSol, which makes six different piscos made from different grape varietals in Peru, is one of many brands educating consumers on how to identify a good pisco. They're also pushing the spirit beyond the classic Pisco Sour and Pisco Punch in American bars.  

TLK: Why did you start BarSol, especially at a time when pisco was not yet well-known in the U.S.?

DLM: A good friend of mine, Dale DeGroff, once told me that America had developed an incredible love affair with all things Latin: food, music, fashion and certainly, drinking. And indeed, I have experienced that since living in the USA since 1985. In 2000, Peru was undergoing a positive economic turnaround after 30 dark years with a military government and terrorism. I wanted to contribute to that change by exporting our forgotten Peruvian pisco to the world.  I wanted to share our amazing history and legacy through a glass of our great spirit, but the product had to be good and a lot of education would be required. I began tasting good, small batch piscos in Peru, and believed the quality would be good enough for the U.S. market. I partnered with my friend Carlos Ferreyros and acquired the 100 year-old Bodega San Isidro distillery. From 2001 and 2004 we made pisco without selling it. I wanted it to be perfect. I started traveling around the U.S. and bartenders loved it.  

TLK: How was pisco affected during the “dark years?”

DLM: Pisco was initially affected by the agricultural reforms applied by the military coup d’état of 1968. Most of the agricultural land owned by the aristocracy in Peru was expropriated by the government and handed to the working class. But they didn't know how to run the business. Vineyards were destroyed and subsistence produce was planted instead. No grapes meant no pisco, and any that became available was low-quality. We didn't really drink pisco through the 1990s. We grew up drinking scotch like many neighboring countries.

TLK: Why is pisco suddenly showing up now in the mainstream, beyond the traditional Peruvian and Chilean restaurants?

DLM: It's a little category that's starting to blossom. It is not an ethnic product at all, but a fantastic cocktail base for the American imbiber. People like white spirit cocktails and you can substitute pisco for any other spirit (such as vodka) and wind up with a fuller, more complex cocktail. The price is also accessible at $20 to $40 a bottle. Imbibers are also learning that the quality of Peruvian pisco is extraordinary because it's made from 100 percent grapes. The people who “get it” are starting to talk about it. But the category still has plenty of room to grow. It's partly the individual effort of every brand doing the best they can to educate, but we still need to have 10, 15 national brands to make the category truly visible. Bartenders and consumers are realizing the versatility of the spirit.

TLK: Can you drink pisco neat?

DLM: Certainly. But the most popular way to drink pisco in the U.S. is in cocktails. As imbibers understand how pisco tastes in the cocktail, then they will request it straight. Like a bourbon or tequila, it's fun to taste the difference among different varietals and expressions, whether it is made of Quebranta, Italia or Torontel grapes – or a blend of any of them called Acholado.

TLK: How do you know you're drinking a good pisco?

DLM: The show is in the bottle. Taste it! It should taste complex, full, and without a funky grain or sugarcane alcohol taste. It should reflect clean and crisp floral and spice characteristics of the grape. The fastest growing piscos on the market are Peruvian products, which must adhere to the country’s regulations (100% from grapes, distilled to bottle proof, with no added water, yeast, enzymes or sulfites). Peruvian pisco can also never rest in wood, so that the final product is a pure expression of the grape that makes it. Look for cleanliness, clarity and purity. 

TLK: Who is the American pisco customer?

DLM: They're young – 21 to 49 – with disposable income and adventurous spirit. Women are typically more adventurous, and are consuming more pisco cocktails. That's because its storied history and Latin heritage is romantic and traditional. The spirit itself is clean, pure, sensual and exotic.

TLK: Why should someone pick up a pisco instead of another white spirit or pomace brandy like grappa?

DLM:  Once you try it, you will love it. There are so many expressions due to the variety of aromatic and non-aromatic grapes that will certainly satisfy all preferences. When comparing to a pomace brandy, pisco is cleaner and less aggressive since the skins are removed from the fermentation. That means there is less bite from tannic acid. Compared to other white spirits, pisco is extremely expressive when consumed straight. Vodka is very neutral and therefore, only adds alcohol to a mixed drink but no character.

TLK: How can you choose a pisco for your palate?

DLM: If you love white tequila, you most likely will like a non-aromatic pisco such as one made from Quebranta grapes, since it presents similar taste characteristics but with fruiter, rather than earthy tones.  If you like gin, you'd probably enjoy aromatic piscos made from Italia, Torontel or Moscatel grapes, which show subtle floral and spice characteristics.

TLK: What's in store for the pisco category's future?

DLM: New Peruvian restaurateurs will become the best allies for pisco distribution and showcase across America, which will only reinforce the exposure of pisco supported by great cocktail bars in major cities. New applications of pisco are also expanding the appreciation of the category.  BarSol just released a natural fortified wine which is known in Peru as “perfecto amor” or perfect love.  The aperativo is made by mixing fresh Italia grape juice with pisco and hence, capturing the natural sweetness of grape juice and stabilizing it with alcohol from the pisco. Needless to say, the future is bright.